Customer satisfaction benchmarks

The new rules for customer service: Findings from the Accenture Global Customer Satisfaction Survey
http://www.accenture.com/NR/rdonlyres/7EACD104-0211-4F59-8DE4-ED7D9FFD8565/0/Global20Customer20Satisfaction20Survey_Outlook_Jan08.pdf
Key findings: Service quality is the leading reason why consumers leave a provider or choose a new one. Consumer expectations are rising, with no ceiling in sight. The gap is widening between the service consumers expect and the service they experience.


ACSI: Customer Satisfaction Halts Slide, Glimmer of Hope for the Economy? - 20th May 2008
http://www.theacsi.org/images/stories/images/news/0508Q1.pdf

After a year of disappointing scores, the annual American Customer Satisfaction Index put together by the University of Michigan saw a modest 0.4 percent jump on the index’s 100 point scale to 75.2.

WINNERS. Scoring well were hotels such as Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton with scores of 78. Cheaper digs offered by Comfort Inn, Quality Inn and Econo Lodge did less well. Fast food seems to be serving up better chow, scoring a full point better over the past year. McDonald’s had its highest gain ever and Pizza Hut and Papa John’s among the highest int he industry. Also in the improving category are telecommunications and cable although satellite carriers fare better. At&T did best followed by Cox Communications and Verizon with Comcast bringing up the rear.

LOSERS. Among those that didn’t fare so well: cellphone companies and airlines. Sprint Nextel plummeted 8 percent to 56 while Verizon topped the industry. As far as airlines, take a train. Continental and US Airways took nosedives, United and Delta fared poorly with Southwest Airlines soaring ahead.